o Put all debris and cleanup materials in a sealable container and put outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of properly. Do not leaving bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.

o If practical, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating/air conditioning system shut off for several hours.

All of this needs to be done to protect people from the tiny amount of mercury

in one fluorescent light bulb.

Which begs the question,

are these lights really safe and are the risks worth it?

Another equally important concern is what happens to the environment

– the air, soil and water – when tons of discarded bulbs,

along with the mercury, are dumped into local landfills?

The threat posed by billions of broken CFLs lying in landfills

has resulted in some communities requiring their citizens to discard

used and broken CFLs in designated recycling centers

or in a hazardous-waste collection facility.

Given the known deleterious effects caused by mercury, it would seem logical to assume there will be some unintended consequences resulting from the switch to compact fluorescent lights.

Only time will tell how significant those consequences will be.

If you are concerned about the possible health risks associated with CFLs,

LED or halogen lights are good alternatives.

Both cost a little more but are as efficient as CFLs and can be recycled easily.

Although CFLs are considered extremely energy efficient, each bulb contains about 5mg “elemental mercury,” says U.S. Army-Ft. Wood. General Electric, a manufacturer of CFL bulbs, notes the amount equivalent to the tip of a ballpoint pen. GE further claims the mercury is an “essential, irreplaceable element” that allows the bulb to perform as an efficient light source, posing no danger during regular use. Elemental mercury is a bioaccumulative neurotoxin that effects multiple neurological responses. High exposures may affect the kidneys, lead to respiratory failure and death. In addition, mercury accumulates in the environment, vaporizing into the air and leaching into water supplies.

I also did not know the dangers of these curly, compact light bulbs when broken until I read your post. Thank you so much for sharing and making us aware of its risks. You will definitely save lives thru these posts.